The New Year, Session Thirty-Six, The Celestial Olympics
The Champions awaken on the last day of Calibration to find golden envelopes beside their beds: invitations to the Heaven and Earth Invitational. One hundred of Creation's best martial artist gods, exalts, and mortals are chosen every 25 years to compete in these games. Amber, Largo, Takara, and Kai are among them. The winner will receive the handshake of the Unconquered Sun, one move in the Games of Divinity, a day of training from the Maiden of Battles, and a boatload of fame and glory. The party arrives in Yu-Shan early, determining who else is present. Competitors include: Ember, Rook, Brolo, Karn, Laron, Peleps Deled, Asher Grantz, Inner Flame Rises, Raven, Atterum, Five Days Darkness, Yurgen Kaneko, Biggs. Round One The first round of matches includes: Amber vs. Raven, Kai vs. Peleps Deled, Largo vs. Ember, and Takara vs. Asher Grantz. The details of the competition itself are striken from the memories of those involved after the tournament. The rules: the two competitors meet in a dream-state, wherein they can create whatever virtual playing field and items they desire, and in which their physical bodies will not be harmed. The terms of victory and rules of each match are agreed upon prior to the beginning of each match. Amber challenges Raven to a forest battle in which each is allowed one charm, and then they fight. Amber uses Rocks and Storms chorus, preventing Raven's attacks from coming in quickly enough. When her arm tires of playing her violin, she sings. The battle lasts a while, but then Raven slips in the trees, falling to the ground, and Amber is victorious. Kai challenges Peleps Deled to a contest in which rescuing innocents is the goal. They will attempt to get the most villagers (out of 100) into their own safehouse, away from various shadowland creatures they summon in the start. In addition to the ghosts, zombies, and others Peleps summons, Kai summons three Abyssals--and Loras and Riptide. When battle begins, she immediately instructs the latter two to distract Deled, while she begins rescuing villagers. Riptide manages to kick Deled in the balls repeatedly, thereby achieving many Solars' dreams, while Kai successfully saves more than fifty of the villagers. Largo and Ember essentially play Capture the Flag with tyrant lizards. Despite Ember's wall of fire, Largo manages Takara challenges Asher Grantz to a straightforward battle--in which each can use any of their belongings, even those they do not currently have on them. Therefore: Takara summons the Coatl, and Asher summons his pirate ship and crew. Cannons are all well and good, but an airship with lasers definitely wins. Still, the two find respect for one another. Round Two The second round of matches includes: Amber vs. Largo, and Takara vs. Kai. Amber and Largo decide on a match in which they will not fight or use charms, but only be judged by the audience on their creations. Amber summons a Largo. In response, aware of his own weakness, Largo summons Ember. The two create more, eventually delving into very brutal emotional attacks--souls Amber had gotten killed, Ember dying, all of Creation being taken over by Deathlords... In the end, Largo concedes, but not before both combatants (and Kai) are emotionally drained. Takara and Kai decide on a basic martial battle, to incapacitation. For several rounds, they attack and dodge with little effect apart from mote loss, until Kai finally decides simply to take a hit--and with Lesson of the Rod, deal back twice the damage. When Takara and his shadow minions hit, both opponents are hit hard and fall incapacitated. Since they fell at the same moment, they simply lie there, Takara desperately trying to convince Kai to give up or his automaton hawk to finish her off, Kai willing to wait until she heals more quickly. As they lie there, a villager comes up and asks if they are alright. Takara tries to get the villager to kill the "demon" Kai, desperate to win, while Kai cheerfully says they were simply having a friendly battle. As time drags on, as Kai approaches becoming capable once more... she concedes. (XP!) (Takara doesn't know how to feel about his victory. Kai is more than satisfied with the results of her successful loss--allowing Takara the chance to get the victory he so desperately desires, and pissing him off at the exact same moment. She's pretty sure she's mastered the Art of Victorious Concession, here.) Round Three The third round includes Amber vs. Yurgen, and Takara vs. Laron. Amber and Yurgen compete in social combat. Amber attempts to convince villagers either to stay and fight the shadowlands encroaching upon their village, while Yurgen attempts to convince them they should leave and live. Amber is, as usual, the most persuasive, and convinces even Yurgen. He concedes. Takara one-shots Laron. Round Four The fourth round includes Amber vs. Takara. The two, knowing they cannot agree to a social or martial fight, decide to decide on an art contest, to be judged by the god of art. Standing art, not performance or martial. Amber creates a book, "The Importance of Being Honest," which Takara promptly steals and presents as his own. Amber counters by presenting "nothing," depicting it as a representation of compassion... modern art bullshit. The god of art seems unimpressed by either's argument, and the fight turns to Amber and Takara debating who should win, who would have the best shot at the final fight, and how they will divide the final rewards. Against the god of blackmail, they decide Amber has a good chance of winning, so Takara concedes (with the promise of the move in the Games of Divinity). Round Five: Final Battle The final battle, Amber vs. Itzcalimon, the god of blackmail. The two decide on interesting limits--no producing sound, creating visual representations is acceptable, other senses and faculties function. Amber begins with Impending Silence--with no sound, her opponent hears the Nothing that is the end of the world. Itzcalimon attempts to visually blackmail her--and she closes her eyes. And--Amber wins. Aftermath Awards ceremony! To cheering crowds, Amber Melody is given the winning medal. The circle continues to the Jade Pleasure Dome. After various agreements earlier, Amber passes on some of her gifts--the day of training with the Maiden of Battles to Largo, the move in the Games of Divinity to Takara, and glory and fame to Kai. Amber herself recieves the handshake of the Unconquered Sun. In the end, the party remembers bits and pieces--social aspects, and parts of battles, but not the rules or the crystal arena and the dreamstate. Largo remembers his day of training. Kai remembers some conversation with the Maiden of Serenity, but not much of what it was about. Takara remembers a ball of expanding light, and that the Games of Divinity do not directly affect Creation. And Amber remembers the handshake. Character Thoughts and Reactions Rey: Awesome session. I had a major adrenaline rush from the end of her battle with Takara. Best. Concession. Ever. (And a minor one from Largo and Amber's fight, because damn.) Kai: Wow. Don't remember much, but what I do remember? Wow. Followed by Session Thirty-Seven, The Bullying of the East Category:Sunlight on the Water